Individual Pieces

Do you ever have days when you just feel like you got it right?  This outfit represents one of those days for me.  Individually, these pieces are a little unremarkable, but I love how it all came together. I've had the turtleneck for-ever, and the jacket, jeans & boots are at least a year old.  But for some reason I really like them together.  I think I've worn cardigans so much lately that I've forgotten how much a blazer can put the finishing touches on an outfit.  I've really got to visit the jacket section of my closet more often.  (Insert New Year's Resolution here.)  Being tall and having long legs can be a blessing and a curse, so on days when my pants are the perfect length for ankle boots I'm a happy girl.  Now I can't say this is the best outfit I've assembled, but it made me feel totally put together - and that's what it's all about right?  As I've said before, this is my  personal fashion journey, so I'll take any and all mini-victories along the way.

Jacket & Necklace:  Loft, Turtleneck:  Random?, Jeans:  Victoria Secret, Boots:  Bandolino

JD, my work "photographer" and I are experimenting with different picture locations and couldn't resist busting up the mannequin party at one of our product displays!                                                     

      

Renegade Elf

So this is what I wore to work on Monday.  Coincidentally, I also delivered Christmas cards and candy-cane reindeer to coworkers.  I thought this was just a cool take on a leather skirt, ya know?  But nooo, everyone called me an Elf.  So I decided to roll with it and announced that I was part of a band of rebel elves who went renegade and shunned red and green for Christmas. 

Sweater: Gift from Mom, Skirt: Thrifted, Tights: Target, Booties: Nine West

 

  If Santa finds out about this, I'm going to be on the naughty list fo' sho.  

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

There are many reasons why I love this outfit.  Number one, I have been on the prowl for a pleated skirt for MONTHS, and I found this taupe one and it's fraternal twin in orange at the J Crew Outlet a few weeks ago - on clearance with an extra 40% off!  Score!  Number two, it was warm enough in December to go bare-legged.  Number three, I am either totally blog-a-licious or breaking every fashion rule under the sun.  In case you can't see the detail, here's the rundown:  plaid shirt, two-tone cardi, pleated skirt, suede oxfords.  And only about 2 colors in total!  That's a major feat considering I'm wearing everything but the kitchen sink.  Not to mention, the twirl factor!  


WARNING:  THIS POST IS HEAVY ON PICTURES...

Cardi:  Loft (Summer 2011), Shirt & Skirt:  J Crew Outlet (Fall 2011), Shoes:  Banana Republic (Summer 2011

 

Going into the twirl

This was about 1in from being inappropriate.

Happy dance!

Even if the combo looked a bit weird off to other people, it made me totally happy!  And isn't that what personal style is all about anyway?

Dress Under Pressure

I think I've mentioned before that I choose and iron my starting 5 line-up on Saturday or Sunday, right?  Well, this past weekend I didn't get a chance to do my usual routine.  In fact, I spent all of Sunday working and had to go into the office at 11pm to print reports and packets for a big meeting Monday morning.  I left the office at 2am, and after getting about 3 hours of sleep I realized that I had nothing picked out to wear!  I usually try to dress up for this particular meeting each month, so the pressure was on to find something suitable, funky and most importantly wrinkle-free.

I remembered this tweed dress I picked up at Loft Outlet earlier this year and struggled to find something wrinkle-free warm to wear with it.  I didn't want to do the obvious and wear a cardi so I opted to layer under the dress.  The leather boots and sox to match my shirt added that pop of funkiness I needed.  

Jacket: Northface Aconcagua, Dress & Turtleneck: Loft Outlet, Boots: Nine West, Boot sox: Hue

Happy Friday!

Professional Pajamas

I finally found a way to wear PJs to work!  It's eazy-peazy…you just put on super soft and stretchy jeggings, a  loungy tunic and soft nubuck boots.  Now, this might sound like actual articles of clothing, but trust me dearies these are new age Professional Pajamas.  And the cute little zipper on the back of the shirt made it even better.   I'm so happy I rocked the most comfy pajama set outfit ever and no one was the wiser.  Now if I could just get HR to approve naptime…..

Tunic:  Zara (last week), Jeggings:  random brand from TJ Maxx (2010), Boots:  Nine West (2010), Necklace/Earrings:  Bijuju (Tanger Outlet 2009)

Secret secret

Can I tell you a secret?  Shhh, don't tell anyone but that's not really a smile in the pictures below.  It's actually a grimace.  The shoes I was wearing were hurting my feet soooo bad!  It felt like at least four toes had fallen off and were rolling around in there!  But the bad part is - I have 2 pair of these suckas - brown & black!  I absolutely love the styling of a high heeled lace up oxford, but I have never been able to find a comfortable pair.  I found these on sale at Nine West this summer for $14.99 and they were running a BOGO 50%, so of course I had to offer them a home.  But if I knew then what I know now, I would not have added them to my shoe foster family.  And the really sad part is that I put shoe stretchers in them several days before I wore them and they STILL hurt!  What's even sadder is that I'm sure I'll wear them again.  If I manage to get pictures next time, maybe I can pass off the crying as tears of joy.   

Sweater, Necklace & Bracelet:  random from TJ Maxx, Cords:  J Crew, Instruments of torture Shoes:  9 West, Earrings:  The Limited

Can you tell I got a new hairdo?  It wasn't a drastic change, but I did get a lil bit cut off. 

Reindeer Runway

In lieu of an outfit post, I thought I would share a few pics of my outdoor Christmas decorations.  Now, it's not a Griswold production by any means, but I'm kinda proud of my handiwork.  In this post, I mentioned my reindeer landing strip - which my lil Muffin "helped" me create.  


This year I decided to leave my talents on the ground, rather than hanging lights or other garland from the gutters.  Whenever I think about busting out my ladder, I remember the first Christmas in my first house.  I went up on the roof  to hang the lights, but when I finished I was too scared to back onto the ladder and come down.  So I sat up there crying for like an hour trying to play it off whenever my neighbors came outside.  Luckily my father came over and helped me down.  Sad, huh?

Those are actually red & clear lights running together, not flames.  But I took these pics in the dark, so it looks like the great drive o' fire.

And since I love Snoopy like another member of the family, my decorations wouldn't be complete without at least one inflatable.

Do you think Santa and his crew will notice my crib?  Now if I can just get off the naughty list...

That Color Looks Good on You

I have a bad habit of forgetting what I already have in my closet when I go shopping.  Especially, when Loft or Ann Taylor has a big sale.  Enter this sweater...I have this little gem in not 1, not 2 but 3 colors!  And for some reason, I haven't touched the other two, but I've worn this weird color a few times.  


I feel like I'm coming down with a cold, so I wanted to wear something warm and comfy to work.  And wouldn't you know it, I reached for this one again!  Sorry colors 1&2 - I promise your turns are coming.

Sweater & Jeans: Loft, Boots:  Nine West, Necklace & Earrings: Charming Charlie

As I passed one of my peeps at work, and she said, "That color looks good on you.  I don't know why, because not many people can pull that off..."  I said, "What, pull off baby-poop-yellow?". She laughed and said, "Yeah."  Hmm, was that really a compliment or should I be offended that at least one person thinks baby poop complements my complexion?  

Happy Thursday everyone!

Season of Confusion

The last time I checked the calendar it was early December, but the last time I checked the weather it seemed like early October at best.  I'm so confused!  My heart wants to prepare for Christmas and put on hats and scarves and sniffle.  But the temps won't let me.  

Over the weekend I put up my decorations outside (I made the coolest reindeer landing strip around my driveway - no way Santa will miss this joint!).  I started out wearing a coat and ended up with just a long sleeve tee.  What tha what?!  Oh well, I better enjoy it now 'cause in January I'm sure I'll be whining about the cold.  

Cardi:  Loft (Spring 2011), Blouse:  F21 (Summer 2011), Skinnies:  ?? (Sample sale @ work 2010), Boots:  Jessica Simpson (Dillards 2009)

Not an Elf

This is my busiest time of year at work.  And no, I'm not an elf.  I've mentioned before that I've been quite the busy little bee - which is why my posts have been a little sporadic.  The weird weather we've had hasn't helped matters any either.  One day it's balmy and in the mid to upper-60s, the next day it's chilly and windy and in the 40s.  What's a girl to do?  I took the easy way out with this outfit - a button down, sanded skinnies, and riding boots.  Bam!  Maybe not instant glam, but definitely not. an. elf.

Shirt:  Loft (Summer 2011), Skinnies: Victoria Secret (2010), Boots:  Bjorn (Dillards 2010)

Don't you just love how my arm blends into the wall and hand appears out of nowhere?  Freaky!

Cotton Candy

Lately, I've had to travel on business and attend a ton of meetings in the office.  I have a lot of Fall/Winter dresses and skirts in my closet, besides a plethora of jeans, but I find myself wanting to dress more for comfort than fashion.  Case in point, I picked up this sweater dress from H&M in San Francisco last week and couldn't wait to wear it.  It's the sweater-dressy version of pajamas!  It's perrr-fect for sitting in meetings or being holed up at my desk.  

Sweater dress:  HM (last week), Tights:  Hue (ancient), Ankle boots:  Enzo Angiolini (2010)

After looking at these pics, I'm not so sure that it is figure-flattering.  I look like a big puff of pink cotton candy - complete with the white stick on the bottom!  Lordy!  Why didn't someone tell me that today, while I was bopping around thinking I was cute?!  Oh well, it's done now - next time, and this sweater is comfy there WILL be a next time, I'll be sure to belt it or throw on a jacket.


Any suggestions on how I can make this look less like a carnival treat?

New Toy

Once again, I am traveling for work, so taking pics will be a challenge this week.  I have a couple of extra pics saved that I will try to schedule.  So, in lieu of an outfit post today, I thought I would share a picture of my new toy.  


Even though my blog is still a newborn, I  have high hopes that it will last awhile. Sooo, I have been on the hunt for an ah-mazing deal on an SLR camera.  Neither I nor my picture-taking buddy JD are professional photographers, but I firmly believe in having the right tools for the job.  Plus, I am a little OCD so whenever I try something new, I get obsessed with accessories and go all out buying them.  (Remind me to tell you about the ONE time I tried to play bball and bought tons of gear.)  I am also a firm believer in sales, bargains, on tha cheap, clearance, etc.  So enter, my search through most of the pawn shops in Greensboro for a camera.  I briefly thought about buying a new one, but again since we are not pros, I didn't want to pay a pro price.  I found this little guy, with the box, instructions, 2 lenses & all of the cords for about 50% less than the lowest sale price around!  Now I can't promise the pics will miraculously become amazing, but hey, at least JD and I will look good shooting them.

I have to say, even though I still don't really know how to use most of the features, it does take great pics!

Canon EOS Rebel XS w/EFS 18-55mm lens attached, and extra  EF 50mm lens

Lesson for the day:  pawn shops are your friend.  It just might be a pawn shoppy Christmas for my peeps this year!


Do any of you shop @ pawn shops?  Aren't they just another form of thrifting?  


Happy Tuesday!

Emerald City

Something you should know about me is that I pick out and iron both Muffin's and my clothes for the week on Sundays.  I watch the weather channel, check my weather apps and watch the local weather (a bit OCD eh?), then I decide on a theme or mindset for us for the 5 work/school days.  Admittedly, I am a control freak. Couple that with the fact that I can't get out of bed on time, and you can't beat that Sunday thing.  It really makes getting dressed easier, because I can "shop" my closet and put things together that I wouldn't normally do if I were pressed for time.


So with that being said, I give you my OOTD...  I actually wore this almost 2 weeks ago, but I'm just getting around to posting it.  I am really digging the emerald tones in the shirt and jacket.  It's a little bit county and a little bit rock and roll, or maybe it's more like City Mouse/Country mouse.  At any rate, like I've said before (here), I love a clothing contradiction.  The plaid shirt and velvet jacket combo somehow make me happy.  Or maybe it's the fact that I got this jacket for $9.50 from Loft c/o a bunch of Rewards cards!  Booyah!

Blazer:  Loft (here), Shirt:  J Crew, Jeans:  Gap 1969 Curvy Jeans (here), Shoes:  Nine West, Necklace/Earrings:  NY&Co

And for further validation of this creation, Kendi wore a similar look in her Mad for Plaid post on the same day that I wore this!  Nice, huh?


Happy Tuesday!

Dots, Stripes & Turkeys Oh My!

Hello Blogger buddies!  I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and did some super Black Friday shopping!  I spent most of my Turkey day with my family and the bf.  And just because I'm corny cool like that, I dressed Muffin and myself alike.  Obviously, I can only do this while she's still little -- cause pretty soon she's going to discover that Mommy is not nearly as cool as she thinks I am right now!


Since she is a junior fashionista, and her wardrobe rivals most adults, I had a few options to choose.  We did a little pattern mixing with nearly identical striped cardis and polka-dotted tanks.   I initially planned for her to wear skinny jeans too, but I try to pick my battles and her whining for "soft pants" won.

Me:  Cardi:  Loft, Tank:  Ann Taylor, Skinnies:  TJ Maxx, Flats:  Nine West
Muffin:  Cardi:  GapKids, Tank:  Old Navy, Leggings:  Target, Shoes:  Satin Chuck Taylors

What do you think of Mothers and daughters who dress alike or in the same "theme"?  Corny or cute?  

Happy Monday!